As some of you may know, I landed myself an internship with Kensie and am moving to New York City! I couldn’t be more excited about this for so many reasons. One, as I have always loved fashion, I dreamt about living in New York City. Big city dreams are real and now I am so lucky to be working right in the Garment District in one of the greatest fashion capitals of the world! Two, I was not only recognized professionally by the company, but personally. I was so happy to know that the interviewer checked out my blog. It is important to feel comfortable in the work place, and the fact that I could relate with them when it comes to health & fitness is a big plus!

When I was in High School, I was the big girl. Fashion, style, and accessories were all I had to show. During my college days I’ve let my style go to the wayside just a tad. Dressing up for class was not only time consuming, but not exactly normal at Ohio University, especially considering I was most likely headed to the gym right after! Though I don’t show my style every day, I still have a knack for it. Yes, I’m excited for the learning experience that Kensie will provide me with, but who wouldn’t be excited to get the opportunity to dress up everyday and really move forward with their own personal style?! I know I am. When I worked at Macy’s Columbia I worked directly with Kensie’s merchandise. I had always loved Kensie and was so excited to see the job postings online! It almost seemed surreal to be interviewing at such a beautiful showroom, which motivated me to nail the interview as best as I could! After being denied from countless jobs these past two years, I felt like this was my calling. Receiving this job opportunity was one of the most rewarding moments to happen to me in a while! Another thing I love about Kensie is their sizing. Their sizes are not only comfortably fitting, but they go up to sizes that many brands do not. This gives girls who are not a size 2 a chance to have some of the most trending merchandise today.

One product line I have not been familiar with with Kensie is the accessories. After browsing their accessories in department stores and shopping online, I think I may have a new obsession.

Pictured above is the Flawless Flannel Shirt you can purchase on Beyonce.com. I love Beyonce, we all love Beyonce, we all want to be as flawless as Beyonce, here’s step one. I pictured this flannel to be worn open, with the NastyGal.com Lace Bustier and Gaps Destructed Sexy Boyfriend Jeans. You can go to starbucks in this outfit, or a friends house, but this can also be dressed up with a little help from Kensie. I’d describe Kensie’s Imelda High-Heel Sandals as casual glam, because that gold piece creates such a statement. Without it, they’d just be your typical black sandals. Accessorize your outfit with more gold statement pieces from Kensie’s selection of jewelry. Kensie’s Gold Plated Pyramid Stud Earrings and Printed Matter Gold Platted “Wish” Pendant are perfect additions to your already flawless outfit. I accessorize with gold all the time and would wear these accessories in a heartbeat. Lastly, I threw Kensie’s Sophie Satchel in there to finish the outfit and bring the black to full circle.

Click the image above to check out more of my Polyvore sets and find out wear to buy these items online or in store!

We are all guilty of “living for the weekend”. You work hard all week, whether it be in school, work, or exercise, so that you can enjoy your weekend of rest. Though I’m sure we all have our own versions of “rest”. You hear it all the time, “I’m gonna go so hard in the gym all week so that come Thursday I can just get trashed etc for the rest of the weekend”. Oh… you don’t here that? Well, I do. I’m a senior at Ohio University and I am surrounded by all of the greatest temptations. Bars, local eateries, great friends, and “weekends” that can very easily start on Monday. There is nothing wrong with a little fun, but sometimes it is very easy to allow your priorities to slip on the weekends. This post is for the weekenders with goals.

So I’m sitting here, a little hungover, and I’m trying to think of something I can promise myself to do to make my weekends fun and productive at the same time. I used to always be the girl to workout on the weekends but lately I’ve been feeling 21 going on 60. One night of drinks and my body aches. (Is it ignorant of me to think that I’m getting old?) This is most likely because the binge drinking that goes on in college is 100% unhealthy, ridiculous, out of hand, and very fun. After almost four years of this, it is in fact getting very old. “I’m so over it” as the white girls say. It is quite a “coming of age” experience to realize that I in fact don’t have to go out on both Friday and Saturday night, and that my weekends don’t have to start on Thursday. Once I realized this, I felt healthier.

Not only have I been trying to make my weekends productive, I’ve been trying to make them healthier, and here are a few ways to do so:

1. Have a night in. If you don’t want to go out, you can say no. You can sit and watch Netflix and do tabata abs until you see stars (real life experience from a Saturday night of mine). Find a friend to watch a movie with, or better yet GO to the movies you rebel, you. If you can’t find a friend that will hang out with you soberly, you are choosing the wrong friends. Don’t be afraid to stay in. A night alone allows you to clear you mind, rest, and think about your goals. People are so afraid of being alone. Your relationship with yourself is most important, so I’d start making it a priority.

2. Drinks. If you are trying to lose weight, you can still go out. Have one drink, depending on how strict you are being, or have no drink at all. Order a water with lemon and surely no one will notice. They look almost identical to gin and tonics. Water with lemon/lime is the way to go if you are nonchalantly trying to stay sober and sneak out once everyone gets too drunk to notice where you went. If you are trying to generally clean up your drinking habits, I’d say stay away from beer. I started bringing crystal lite packets to bars with me and ordering gin and water. Gin, because I can’t have vodka. Crystal lite, because otherwise, ew. Gin or Vodka tonics are also a lighter choice. Rumor has it rum is pure sugar so, I nixed that as my drink of choice for the time being. Yes, ciders are Gluten Free but are in no way a healthier choice. They have double the calories as beer and a lot of sugar and carbs.

3. Hangovers. Sleeping is the number one way to rid your hangover. More ways I prevent hangover is one, staying hydrated. Water is your best friend. If you know you’re going out that night, it is very important to stay hydrated throughout the day. (It’s really important to stay hydrated, anyway) Also, have a water with your beverages, or in between beverages. You will not regret this decision. It makes a hangover a hell of a lot more tolerable. Two, chugging a water bottle before I go to bed. Three, chugging 1000 mg of vitamin C before I go to bed. When I wake up in the morning I have eggs and green tea. Lately, I’ve been on a huge lemon water kick. Lemon water is very rejuvenating and I highly recommend drinking it during your hangover! It will get better!

4. Food What is better than a greasy late night meal? It is one of life’s simplist pleasures. When you are trying to lose weight, the drinks and late night meals REALLY screw you over. While on a diet, I try to allow myself one moderate cheat meal a week. This way, I won’t go crazy and I’ll have something delicious to look forward to. I say moderate because I try not to make it a cheat day, or a cheat large pizza-stuffed crust-pepperoni and sausage-cheesy bread kind of day. If you must, the small personal pan pizza’s should be your only option. It saves you 1/3 the calories of accidentally eating a whole large pizza throughout one day. (We’ve all done it…) So I know I talked about drunk food, but I’m gonna ask you, and beg you, to hold out. You know that regardless of the two slices of pizza or large fry you have the night before, you are going to wake up craving the same kind of greasy food. Have a little willpower, get yourself into bed and get your mind off of food. Wake up and have a hearty and healthy breakfast. Something paleo, like eggs and avocado. (I keep mentioning that I have eggs in the morning after a night of drinking. I read an article awhile back on the various benefits of an egg. Let me try to explain the science behind it without sounding stupid… Eggs contain an amino acid. That amino acid counteracts something in alcohol that is more toxic than alcohol itself.) That way, when it comes to dinner time, your pizza or burrito bowl from chipotle is all yours and very well deserved. Or you could have it for breakfast, but I personally like to start my day with a healthy meal. It keeps my willpower in check and motivates the rest of my day.

5. Don’t sit on your booty all day. There’s nothing better than a nice lazy day, but where is that going to get you? If you’re dieting, you’re already cheating on your diet by drinking. Why elongate the process of cheating by not moving from your bed for 24 hours after a long night of drinking? Yes, staying horizontal all day feels great but let me tell you what happens when you make the choice to finally become vertical. First things first, you wake up. That’s the hardest part, I know. After you finish your egg breakfast, your system is moving and your body is realizing “Hey, it’s time to start my day”. Side note: Did you know that the reason late night eaters find it so hard to fall asleep is because if you eat in the middle of the night it alerts your body that it’s the beginning of a new day so your senses are heightened. (Another explanation proven by science where I don’t remember how to scientifically explain it, but just go with it). You start to feel a little normal again and you’re ready to get a workout in. Don’t think about it, just do it. If you think about it you literally will not walk out the door. Convince yourself that you’re going shopping if you have to, just put on your sneakers and get to the gym. I love the feeling of a run, but accomplishing that after a night of drinking is like a whole new world. While everyone else was laying in bed convincing themselves that they are dying, you went out and got your sweat on. Sweating is one of the number one things that cure my hangover. I hop on the treadmill, start slow, and start sweating. Each sweat drop reminds me of a drink I had the night before… “Oh, there goes that cherry bomb.” I’m serious. Sweat. It. Out. It works.

Running is a great form of exercise. It is how I, personally, shredded those first 75 pounds! Most people hate running in the cold, which is completely understandable, but it is mainly because they don’t want to be freezing while they run, also understandable. With the cold months of winter upon us, how do you stay warm and cool all at the same time? Kellie and I paired up to show you just how to get your run on in a fashionably manner.

Pictured is Kellie dressed in a long sleeved running jacket made specifically for those winter runs! Her black crops are from Forever 21. Kellie states that the pants surprisingly keep her warm and they stay perfectly fit on her hips the whole time she is running. Good job Forever 21!

Quick! What’s the difference between these two headbands? Visually, almost nothing. The headband on the left is from TJMaxx and the headband on the right is from LuLuLemon. I am a huge LuLuLemon headband fan. LuLuLemon’s headbands stay on my head, they are in so many different colors, and they happen to look good with any outfit for any occasion! But, you don’t always need to splurge on such little accessories. If you’re lucky, you can buy LuLuLemon’s headbands for every day of the year. Being a college student, that is so not the case!

How fierce is she? Long pants are the way to go for those long winter runs, and Kellie’s pink running jacket fits perfectly over any running shirt. Layers are crucial! But not too many, one or two layers of the RIGHT winter running gear will do the trick. Cotton isn’t always your friend. Also pictured is Kellie’s new and favorite pair of Asic’s running sneakers.

Asics have been my go-to brand all through my high school cross-country seasons and my half and full marathons. They’re light-weight, but provide enough support for my flat feet. The ONLY time I didn’t go with Asics, I got horrible shin and knee problems – lesson learned and I’m never making that mistake again!” -Kellie’s take on running shoes!

Under Armour also has a great selection of headbands. I rate headbands by how well they stay on your head… and this one passed the test! Not to mention the color, pink is a guilty pleasure for most of us girls. Some more running essentials I recommend for winter runs are hats, ear muffs, compression socks, and tissues! Kellie combined her ear muffs with her headphones, while listening to her pump up jams including Miss Jackson by Panic! At the Disco and Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio.

As you can see, Kellie looks absolutely adorable in all of her winter running essentials! So, don’t be afraid to wear these outfits to class before or after your long run! I personally love wearing workout gear around town. It makes me feel fashion forward, while also moving forward with my fitness goals! Stay warm everyone!
Yours Truly,
Stef

Okay so let’s recap. I officially have 7 days of Whole Life Challenge left. Crunch time, because I want to see some decent results! (I know it’s only 30 days, but little results matter) I’m going to keep it as CLEAN as possible. I’ve been measuring my body and am hoping for some loss in inches. I’ve felt great at Crossfit, and I see some decent muscle tone! And strange veins that I’ve never seen before. I just hope the vein thing is normal… Anywho. I have finally succeeded at upping my cardio, which always seems to help me. Some people believe that cardio is not the way to go, but I look and feel better when it comes into my life more than once a week. Last week I did a two, three, and four mile run. Not to mention we did “Nancy” last week.

“Nancy”
6 rounds for time of:
400m Run
15 OH Squats (95/65)

I was proud to say I did all of the overhead squats unbroken, but unfortunately my speed ruins every opportunity for a decent PR in those kinds of WODs. I am desperately trying to get faster. Last year, before I was very into Crossfit, I would do tabata drills on the treadmill. I decreased my 5K time by five minutes in a few short weeks and it prepared me for the half marathon races. Without the constant cardio my speed has decreased so much that it doesn’t even feel right saying the word speed when discussing me running. Speed, running, and Stefani, three things that don’t match up. I ran 5.4 miles on Monday, it took me an hour. I was just glad to finally run more than 3 miles again. It felt amazing. Hopefully I’ll keep increasing my cardio and get back to the tabata drills! They seriously work!
Boom. So glad that’s planned out. More goals; continue Whole Life Challenge until I get to school. There’s no reason why I can’t make it another three weeks, and I know once I get back to school I’ll be too excited to celebrate my 21st birthday to stop myself from having a few drinks and a celebratory cupcake. Guilty! It’s happening. I deserve it.
Roots & Costco also had some serious sales. I stocked up on Coconut Water, coconut oil, and Vitamin D & Protein Powder to take back to school.
I was looking for a protein powder to make smoothies with and this one is perfect! It has great fiber and digestive enzymes in it. Stevia is added. I also bought this amazing almond butter;
This was seven freakin dollars at Costco. They are huge, I bought two. I usually am an idiot and pay twelve dollars for other brands but even those jars are smaller than this. The ingredients is perfect, aka only almonds. The problem is I was supposed to be limiting almond butter. I hadn’t had it in three weeks, and all the sudden I’ve had it four times in two days. Shit…Now that I say that I realize that’s bad. So basically after I had almond butter & banana tonight I realized I needed to get rid of it before I consumed the whole jar. I told my mom to hide it somewhere I couldn’t find it… pathetic, but necessary.
I did a lot of shopping this week. And it’s only Tuesday. I went to Walgreens with the intentions of buying a three dollar pumice stone. Next thing you know I’m walking out with a stupid amount of items from that stupid little drug store. I bought a pumice stone, a crock pot, a pill box & hair dye (two items I can’t explain), two packs of my probiotic, a lotion set, mouthwash… and band aids. Pink band aids. Dammit. Why do I keep buying pink things? I’m in need of some more Wednesdays…
I went to Marshalls to do some returns and bought a pink dress, and wedges with pink in them. I found a gift card from Forever 21 in my room. Not sure where my mind was when I purchased another pink maxi dress. I also bought pink lip gloss. If I say pink one more time, you have my permission to stop reading my blog.
On Tuesdays I buy pink dresses. On Wednesdays, I return pink dresses.

Welcome!

Hello All! Welcome to my blog :) My name is Stefani Brooke Muller and I am currently a Senior at Ohio University, finishing up my degree in Retail Merchandising and Fashion Product Development. I am originally from Columbia, Maryland but reside in the beautiful town of Athens, Ohio. I am gluten and dairy intolerant, so most of my food recipes are healthy - not to mention paleo! I Crossfit & enjoy the occasional runners high. Check out my Blog Index page to find just what you are looking for - and check out my About Me to figure out why I have a blog in the first place :) Follow my journey and keep updated on healthy fitness, fashion, and food advice!